BUSY BUSY GIRL

Because I’ve been busy, I’m splitting this update into 2 posts for my sanity. I don’t apologize because it has all been fantastic!

Before going to Madrid the other weekend, on one of my mandatory visits in Sevilla was to go to Alcázar of Sevilla, Reales Alcázares de Sevilla”. It was originally a Moorish fort built during the reign of the Almohades in Sevilla in 1161. After the Reconquista, Kind Pedro I commissioned the construction of a new palace, named after himself of course. Instead of demolishing the fort, architects added on patios, and halls and rooms. It is still, even today used by the Royals when they are in Sevilla. It is the oldest royal palace still used in Europe and it has been a World Heritage Site since 1987. Our visit included the Patio de las Doncellas, the main courtyard. Also the Salón de Embajadores, that has the most wonderful ceiling in the Moorish style. You can also enter the royal gardens when you enter. They are crazy big and crazy gorgeous and they have peacocks.

 

Last Tuesday, our school organized a boat tour of the Guadalquivir (pronounce gua da key ville, g is like guacamole) It has taken me almost four weeks to figure out how to say it. Sevilla at one point in its history was the biggest port in Spain. It is an incredibly old city, and because of the access to water, it was much easier to import and export. I don’t entirely know what’s in the pictures, but it was gorgeous and the breeze was phenomenal.

Last Thursday I went on my last mandatory visit in Sevilla to Italica. The city of Italica was founded in 206 BC (real old) by the Roman general, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. (Lol at this poor mans name) Prepare yourself for some real old history here for a second. During the Second Punic War, when the Carthaginian army was defeated this city was founded to house Roman soldiers in the Battle of Ilipa. During its height, it was estimated to be the home to only 8,00 Romans. Being Roman, they were real into their amphitheater, as it seated 25,000 people. You can also see where people were living in the city itself. The mosaic of the floor has been persevered very well, but almost all the rest of relics from this area are located in the Archeological Museum in Sevilla, which I have yet to visit. For the most part, these ruins and fairly ruined and our professor had to repeatedly remind us to use our imagination. It was rough, because I mean this stuff is old.

My father brought it up that I have yet to post any pictures of my host family or talk about them. While I would love to say that I have a super caring and generous family who loves to talk to me about my life in the States and wants to teach me everything about Sevilla, that is not the case. And before you think I’m living like an orphan, don’t worry, I’m not. When I first got to Spain, I was upset that I was not receiving that described above. My previous experience in Spain with a family was fantastic. They were kind, gracious; they wanted to talk to me, to spend time with me, to show me everything in Ponfe. But here, I am not a family guest - I am a business transaction.

            Super super diet version of the economic issues in Spain, ps, I’m not an econ person, don’t hate, 51.1 percent of youths under age 25 are unemployed, 24.4 percent of the total population was jobless at the end of March. 365,900 people in Spain have lost their jobs so far this year, there was a big bank that collapsed, they have corruption in their government, everyone is borrowing money that no one really has, they will need to roll over €117.5 billion euros of Spanish debt maturing this year, with the bulk of that coming due in October, November, and December. It also has to finance a €52 billion deficit.

            SO because of the crisis, a way that a lot of families survived, and still are surviving the crisis is to take in international students. We’re quiet, we give money and we just need you to cook, clean and do our laundry. It’s a pretty sweet set up for a family. And my host family here is no exception to trying to stay afloat. My host father Alejandro used to be in real estate or something similar, he made very good money. About a year before the crisis, he had some health problems and was in a coma for a couple months, because of the health insurance here, he had public and private health insurance, so he was treated and his family didn’t go into debt trying to pay for medical bills. He is still recovering from the coma and speaks to us often about how he has to relearn things on the guitar. Alejandro use to be a wonderful guitar player, specifically flamenco music but the coma hurt a lot of his memory. LONG story short, to keep afloat, they decided to house international students. They have hosted over 20 students in the past 5 years so we aren’t new, or different or special. And like I said before, this really bothered me. But as I have learned about the crisis and other families, I can’t blame mine here. They’ve got plenty of room for us, and by housing 4 international students, they get a pretty nice check at the end of it all.

             

I'm working on a Flickr account to show the pictures that I can't fit on here. It's going to be a process, so bear with me because I'm working on it! XOXOXOXO